HARRISBURG — A proposal to replace school property taxes in Pennsylvania with higher income and sales taxes was soundly rejected Tuesday in the House of Representatives.

The Republican-controlled House shot down the measure 138-59 after about three hours of debate in which conservative stalwarts sought to rally their allies.

This vote “may very well be our last chance to cast a vote anywhere near property tax elimination,” argued the amendment sponsor, Rep. Jim Cox, R-Berks. “If this issue is important to you ... I ask you to stick with me.”

The proposal was in the form of an amendment to an underlying bill that would allow individual school districts to enact a proposed “elimination tax” to generate revenue in place of rising property taxes many lawmakers say are driving Pennsylvanians out of their homes.

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“The time has come to put up or shut up,” said Rep. Jerry Knowles, R-Schuylkill. “We’re gonna sort out the phonies.”

But the measure fell short, receiving little support from Democrats and some Republicans who have blocked previous efforts at property tax reform.

Cox acknowledged his proposal was technically flawed but urged his allies to seize a rare opportunity to cast a vote to eliminate school taxes.

Opponents said the amendment was riddled with legal flaws and amounted to little more than “a concept.” They called the measure ill-conceived and warned that the resulting increases in statewide taxes would unfairly penalize working Pennsylvanians.

“These taxes will fall most harshly on working Pennsylvanians,” said Rep. Bryan Barbin, D-Cambria.

Cox, the primary sponsor of House Bill 76, has been unable to get his bill out of committee to the full House for a vote.

While Cox was disappointed by the vote on the amendment, he was not surprised and said it actually will be helpful moving forward.

“Now we have a clear tally of who supports the Property Tax Independence Act,” Cox said.

Due to the legislative logjam in the abbreviated fall session, Cox said he attempted to amend the language of his bill onto another piece of legislation — House Bill 1189 — that was being considered Tuesday by the House.

“I’m not surprised considering the forces we were up against,” Cox said. “We have a lot of homeowners on our side, but big labor groups and big business groups coalesced in opposition to the legislation.”

Cox said the House’s rejection of the amendment does not spell the end of the Property Tax Independence Act.

“We still have House Bill 76 in the House Finance Committee and Senate Bill 76 in the Senate Finance Committee,” Cox said. “Today was a tactical setback, but the overall goal remains the same. We have more work to do, but we are still moving forward.”

HB 76 is supported by more than 80 grassroots taxpayer groups across the state. Several hundred Pennsylvania taxpayers held a rally at the state Capitol on Sept. 24 urging lawmakers to eliminate school property taxes.

The House is expected to consider additional property-tax legislation Wednesday.